adjective |ˈmäd(ə)rət|
average in amount, intensity, quality, or degree : we walked at a moderate pace.
• (of a person, party, or policy); not radical or excessively right- or left-wing : a moderate reform program.
noun |ˈmäd(ə)rət| |ˈmɑd(ə)rət| |ˈmɒd(ə)rət| |ˈmɒd(ə)rət|
a person who holds moderate views, esp. in politics.
verb |ˈmädəˌrāt| |ˈmɑdəˈreɪt| |ˈmɒdəreɪt|
1 make or become less extreme, intense, rigorous, or violent : [ trans. ] I shall not moderate my criticism | [as adj. ] ( moderating) his moderating influence in the army was now needed more than ever | [ intrans. ] the weather has moderated considerably.
2 [ trans. ] (in academic and ecclesiastical contexts) preside over (a deliberative body) or at (a debate) : a panel moderated by a Harvard University law professor.
• [ intrans. ] preside; act as a moderator.
3 [ trans. ] Physics retard (neutrons) with a moderator.
DERIVATIVES
moderatism |-ˌtizəm| |ˈmɑd(ə)rəˈtɪzəm| |ˈmɒd(ə)rətɪz(ə)m| noun
ORIGIN late Middle English : from Latin moderat- ‘reduced, controlled,’ from the verb moderare; related to modest .
